Payout coils



, 1963 L. H- VAN BILLIARD 3,114,456

PAYOUT COILS Filed July 10, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet l Y mMVM Dec. 17, 1963 V N BILUARD 3,114,456

PAYOUT COILS Filed July 10, 1962 4 SheetsSheet 5 I NVENTOR. Laws 1% MA fl/LL/Mfl mania United States Patent Filed July 10, 1962, Ser. No. 208,968 1 Claim. (ill. Mid-6Q) This invention relates to payout conductor coils particularly coils for use for conducting signals between a ship to which one end of the conductor coil is attached and an aquatic missile or vehicle released by the ship to which the other end of the conductor coil is attached.

A conductor linking a torpedo type missile to the releasing ship is utilized either to transfer direction changing or other mission commands or electric power at comparatively high voltage from the ship to the missile, or to transfer sonar information from sonar apparatus on the missile to the launching ship.

An objective of this invention is to provide an efiicient, low cost, reliable payout electrical conductor coil for use between a waterborne vessel and another vessel launched thereby and propelled away from the launching vessel.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an example of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates a fragment of a controllable torpedolike missile in which this invention may be used,

FlG. 2 is a combined sectional and exploded view of a payout coil in accordance with this invention,

FlG. 3 is a perspective view of the payout coil shown in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention with part of the peripheral wrap omitted, and

FIG. 5 illustrates a method of making the coil shown in FIG. 4.

The fragment of the torpedo-like missile 1t) shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1 includes a container 12 having a hollow extension 14 at one end through which conductors may thread and the extension is capable of being hermetically sealed with a conventional gland nut means, not shown. The opposite end of the container is open and is removably secured in water-tight relation against a wall in in the missile. A conductor guide tube 18 is secured to and extends from the wall in to the outside rear of the missile beyond the drive propellers. The container 12 is flooded when the missile it is in the Water. The function of the container 12 is to support compacted-for-payout elongated conductor means for electrically connecting electrical means in the missile it) to electrical means on the launching ship not shown. The details of the missile do not constitute part of this invention.-

The embodiment of this invention shown in FIG. 2 includes a paper cylinder Zll of several turns of a spiral coiled paper strip. Surrounding the paper cylinder 2% is an insulation covered Wire conductor 22 that is joined at one end to the external surface of the paper cylinder 29 and is coiled about the paper cylinder in the form of a cylindrical coil 24 of universal type winding.

Coil Winding by Wm. Querfurth, published by George Stevens Manufacturing Co., Chicago, Illinois, includes a description of universal type winding. One significant characteristic of a universal type winding in this invention is that it is self supporting. The innermost layer of the coil is in intimate contact with the external surface of the paper cylinder. .With one end 26 of the wire 12 extending laterally, the coil perimeter is girdled by a fairly stiff sheet material 28 such as a inch thick plastic impregnated linen base (e.g. Textolite). A flat annular rigid end piece 30, e.g. Masonite /8 to 7 inch 7 3,114,456 Patented Dec. 17, 1963 thick having inside and outside diameters approximately equal to the inside and outside diameters of the coil disposed against one end of the coil. The coil, girdling material 2S, and fiat annular endpiece 30 are secured firmly together with glass roving adhesive tape 31 as shown in FIG. 3. To ready the coil for assembly in the missile of FIG. 1 for payout, the inside surface of the paper cylinder is engaged by the fingers and twisted and withdrawn from Within the coil. The inner end of the coiled wire is withdrawn and detached from the paper. The paper cylinder arrangement greatly simplifies withdrawal of the inner end of the wire and prevents premature uncoiling during handling and shelf storage.

The payout coil shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is satisfactory for conducting electrical energy between a ship and a vehicle launched by and controllable by the ship where the ship and vehicle are in salt water and the salt Water can provide a return path for the electrical energy. However, where the conductivity of the Water is not adequate for a return path, two wires are required. For that purpose, the payout coil shown in FIG. 3 will include two substantially identical coils axially in line and abutting and with the inner ends of the two coiled wires affixed to the paper cylinder. If the return path is grounded to the water, the return path wire does not require any insulation. The wires of the two coils are of approximately equal length and the coils have equal inside and outside diameters but where one coil is of uninsulated wire and the other is insulated and the wire size is the same, the uninsulated wire coil is substantially shorter in the axial direction than the other coil. (Ihoice of wire size in part depends upon tolerable resistance, coil stillness, and wire strength, but solid copper wire of .024 inch diameter and .047 inch diameter with insulation has been satisfactory for lengths of several hundred yards. 7

in FIG. 4, there is shown an alternative two wire payout coil. in this embodiment, the wires of the two coils are of approximately equal length but only the coil 40 of uninsulated wire is universally wound. The universally wound uninsulated wire is at the end of the payout coil opposite the endpiece 3h. The other coil 32 is wound in succeeding cylindrical layers or is random Wound. The universally wound coil 4% serves as an end support for the coil 42 opposite the endpiece 3d. The paper cylinder to which the inner ends of the coils are attached is not shown in FIG. 4, having been withdrawn. The girdling wrap 28', endpiece 3% and the adhesive tape 31' afford adequate rigidity to the assembled payout coil.

A method of making the payout coil in FIG. 4 is shown in PEG. 5. A rod 50 threaded at one end 51, is secured in a rotating chuck 52 of a drill press, lathe, or other rotating machine, not shown. A frusto-conical element 54 is slidably supported on the rod 5%. An endpiece 3%, with a center hole whose edge is rounded on the coil facing side for presenting a funnel-like shape to the wire when paying out, as in F168. 2 and 3 is disposed against frusto-conical element 54. A rigid member 58 similar to endpiece 3d and another frusto-conical element 55 similar to element 54 are disposed on the rod Stl and nuts 68 are threaded on the end 51 of the rod fill to define a predetermined spacing between the elements 54 and 56. A strip of paper of preselected width is spirally coiled about rod 5%) to extend between and bear against intermediate portions of the conical surfaces of elements 54 and 56. One end of the uninsulated wire is afiixed to the paper cylinder, the chuck 52 is rotated, and the uninsulated wire is universally wound on the paper cylinder against the element 58. Then one end of the insulated wire is aflixed to the paper cylinder and one or more layers are spirally wound and the remainder random wound between the universally wound coil and endpiece 3t). Then the girdling material 28 is taped around the outer surface of the coils. The

lock nuts 51, the frusto-conical element '56 and the rigid member 53 are removed and adhesive tape is wrapped around the combination of coils, girdling material 28, and endpiece 3-9 and the payout coil is removed from rod Sil. One example of satisfactory proportions in a payout coil as described is 1 /8 inside diameter, 4/2 inches outside diameter and 5 inches long.

With this construction, the payout coil may be stored Without loosening and the coiled Wires payout readily and entwined but without kinks and the entwined projected area slows sinking of the payed out wires. It was found thata coil of cabled multiple conductors did not perform satisfactorily and that coils of single conductor Wires, as described herein, performed reliably and etficiently.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts and steps, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claim.

I claim:

A payout wire coil comprising a paper cylinder of several turns of a spiral-coiled paper strip, two substantially equal lengths of conductor Wire, one of which is covered with electrical insulation effective for underwater use and the other being free of electrical insulation, one end of each wire being afiixed to the external surface of the paper cylinder, the wire that is free of electrical insulation being in the form of universally wound cylindrical coil, the innermost layer thereof being in firm contact with the external surface of the paper cylinder, the

insulated wire being in the form of a cylindrical coil of at least two cylindrical layers of coiled wire and the remainder of the insulated Wire being random wound, the coiled insulated wire having approximately equal inside and outside diameters to that of the coil of non-insulated wire, the two coils being coaxial and contiguous, a covering of a sheet material girdling the perimeter of said coils and a flat rigid circular annulus having inside and outside diameters approximately equal to the inside and outside diameters of said coils, said annulus being disposed against the end of the coil of insulated wire, adhesive tape firml securing together said coils, covering, and annulus, whereby said universally wound non-insulated wire alfords support to the end of said payout coil opposite the flat rigid circular annulus, and whereby the coils may be payed out by twisting the paper cylinder from the universally wound end, withdrawing the paper, and detaching the wire ends from the paper.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,436,402 Potter Feb. 24, 1948 2,490,837 Scott Dec. 13, 1949 2,552,594 Scott May 15, 1951 2,639,873 Smith May 26, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 429,464 Great Britain May 30, 1935 1,996,281 Germany Dec. 29, 1960 

